An Exploration of Miss Fisher and The Crypt of Tears

I am so excited to talk about this movie, I have been holding onto it like a great big beautiful bubble. This will have spoilers so if you do not wish to be spoiled save it till you can read it. This is more of an an exploration of my thoughts then a review, it may be a bit scattered, because when you really love a show and you finally see it on the big screen you’re too excited to be focused, and I am afraid I am a bit scattered here, so please be kind when reading this.

The first time I saw it was on the big screen at The Palm Springs Film Festival, which was cool enough, I had never been to a film festival before.  Also it was my chance to see Tony Tilse, Essie Davis and to meet Nathan Page and Roger Lanser in person, so I was really excited. So as much as I enjoyed it and I did, it went by really fast and to be honest I am not sure I could have written a review from my memory because I got to meet Nathan Page that night and I was very excited to finally say hi in person.

Ok, that being said, since it has come out on Acorn TV I have now watched it 30 times on top of the first one, making it 31 times. So I think I am in the position to honestly tell you both about the movie and what I think of it.

The opening is so cool and fast you miss some of the credits. I had to look for Essie and Nathan credit on Acorn because I missed it at the theater. I love the title page with the lettering in the sparkling green of the Emerald from the legend, of Alexander, The Great’s; All Seeing Eye.  Which is the biggest hulking emerald I have ever seen. It’s beautiful and it has a huge clue, which I won’t tell you about.

Professor Linnaeus (adorably played by John Waters) is a sweet teddy bear who is a very learned archaeologist with a thing for Phryne. She is sweet about it, but it is clear that he knows they will just be friends, but she adores him. Phryne is very affectionate toward him and he laps it up. While in Palestine of old, we also meet Vincent Montague known as by one and all as ‘Monty’ who is established as a complete jerk. (Masterfully played by Ian Bliss) Basically he only softens up at the end of movie and just a little bit. But what he says about Australia is the worst! And it makes me so mad, I rolled my hands into fists, I had nail marks in my hands to show for it. (He spits out every prejudice about people from Australia in his first scene, you just want to punch him in the nose. He is a nasty bigoted, piece of work.)

 

So she gets away from Monty and finds Shirin, I love how she flirts sweetly with the mule to gently get him to move so she can save Shirin from what awaits her if she stays in jail. Shirin is excellently played by Izabella Yena, it must have been exciting to be in this film, surrounded by such amazing actors.

 

 

Happily for us fans there is a small section with our beloved MFMM family. It  is sweet and sad and short. Dot and Hugh (Ashleigh Cummings and Hugo Johnstone-Burt ) do have a great scene and Dot’s speech just sparkles. (Shhhh, big spoiler; they are expecting a baby let’s hope that plays a part in the next movie.) And there is a cameo with Bert and Cec, ( Anthony J. Sharpe and Travis McMahon)

 

So Jack is in the car on the way to a memorial service, he is looking at the mug shot from the Greenmill Mystery and crying. It really touched my heart and I teared up. Poor Aunt P, (Miriam Margolyes) is adorable in all her scenes, she still gives as good as she gets but she adores Phryne and she shows that too.  Got to love her! Poor Jack sees her alive, and kissing another man and of course he’s already upset by her marriage to a Maharajah, he does not know what to do he tries to be kind but she handles it so casually that Jack gets mad and storms out. (Sorry Phryne, can’t blame him.)

 

After the fencing match Phryne says “rules were invented by men”, there is a similar note in Persuasion about literature. Which is very interesting because Jonathon Lofthouse is played by Rupert Penry-Jones who played Wentworth in Persuasion.

 

 

 

The level of comedic timing from both Essie Davis and Nathan Page is excellent. Their repartee is on track through the whole movie. When she presses Alexander’s amulet of the Crypt Of Tears. along Jack’s neck it is very sexy, I bet he wished he had his bottled spider with him.

 

After a confrontation with the masked murderer (where poor Jack gets whomped on the head again,) There is a lovely scene in the rain which is so romantic, but gets interrupted.  Its so beautifully shot and its a step closer in their relationship showing that they are making up with each other.

 

We get a bit of Detective Inspector Jack when he gets the astrolabe from Captain Templeton’s widow. (That policeman’s knock.) Where he finds about why her husband deserted the army, (played by Brice Bexter.) And at the same time Cat Burglar Phryne is very active. She is climbing into rooms, up the side of buildings, she would make Cary Grant jealous (from the movie To Catch a Thief.) And Jack’s very masculine one armed police bang to crash open the door to help find the next murder victim shows a little travel has not taken the policeman out our DI Jack Robinson. Phryne and Jack climbing into the Sheikh’s room is very much like old times. As well as the finger gently against his mouth to quiet him because they were about to be heard.

 

Holding up the Astrolabe outside the ball reminded me of the scene after Dot’s wedding. If your a fan of the series there are a lot of lovely nods to the series some are subtle, some are not.

 

There are many superb scenes that Nathan Page as Jack Robinson that are favorites of mine. One was when he sweetly asked not to be left behind when Phryne goes to Palestine in front of others. (And then tries to cover it by making a joke about her driving which did not go over too well, so funny) The other scene he didn’t say a word, it was in a car in England driving to Lofthouse Manor, it was so emotional and beautiful.

 

Essie Davis of course gives a tour-de-force performance as Phryne Fisher, with all her charm, bravery, bravado, compassion and love.  Still the sleuth who wiggles things out from everyone, even from Jack. There are three scenes that are my favorites but I will keep them to myself, they should come as a surprise.

 

 

The cast is all wonderful, sets divine, locations exciting and I personally loved the clothes.  Thank you Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger for a wonderful movie.

 

 

---

Miss Fisher and The Crypt of Tears in Palm Springs.

I had the opportunity to go see Miss Fisher and The Crypt of Tears in Palm Springs. My brother and I drove down for the second screening.  We had not been in the city for 30 years. It’s strange but as far as we could see it had not changed at all.

When we got into town we stopped at a restaurant called “Rick’s” and had a delicious lunch. Then we drove to the Hotel Zoso Lobby Bar and met up with my fellow fans at a pre-party.  It was wonderful to finally meet people in person that I had been speaking to via Facebook messenger.

In attendance were director Tony Tilse and cinematographer Roger Lanser. I didn’t get to chat with Tony Tilse because he was being peppered about the movie that I hadn’t seen yet, so I kept having to walk away from the conversation.  He was very friendly and lovely though. Maybe, we could talk when I go to another event?

I did get to have a nice chat with Roger Lanser, we talked about his looking around Paramount Ranch and my memories of playing there on picnics. And how sad it was that everything except for the final movie set of MASH was burned out by a big fire that gushed through the area toward the end of the series.

Then it was time to go to the screening. I was glad my brother and I left early, the line was really long it actually snaked around the whole parking lot. But it was exciting.  I got to chat with new fans from Palm Springs and non-fans from the film festival they were peppering us with questions about the series. It was fun!

Then the show began, Tony came out to introduce to Essie Davis and Nathan Page to a thunderous applause and a standing ovation.  It was like a rock concert or a fan convention. (It reminded me of when Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor came on stage at the Xena Cons,  the roar was loud.) It was a surprise to the Palm Springs people who were sitting right next to me. I had explain who they were, they had never heard of them.

Essie and Nathan both expressed how happy they were to be with us and how they hoped we loved the film. They teased each other and Essie explained she had to leave early because she was going home, (Nathan teased he was too but Tony said oh no your not!) Then Nathan thanked us for our support, it was really sweet.

Then the movie. It was super. Sorry, I am not going to give any spoilers at all. But I will tell you that if you’re fan you will love it. And if you’re not fan you will enjoy it as a fun romp.  I had people I did not know next to me tell me they enjoyed it very much and my brother who is not fan who gave it his own thumbs up.

There was a great Q and A, (Always go to a Q and A, you get all the good stories at them.)  Nathan, Tony and Roger as well Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger were there to tell us a bunch of wonderful behind the scenes info. Some great stories were shared by all but I can’t say much because I am afraid it would give the game away.

At the end of the show I got to speak to Nathan for a few minutes, it was lovely, he had won The Chatty for most downloads (in a tie with another show) so I got to give him his certificate in person, ( I had never been able to do that before so it was a double thrill.) It was great! I kind of floated home on it, like I did when I met Lucy Lawless.

Which was good because it was a long drive home.

Miss Fisher Movie Trailer is here!!!!

The first trailer for Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, the much-anticipated movie version of the popular Australian TV series has arrived! I’m so excited this is a personal favorite of mine. (No secret there.) As a mystery buff this is my cup of tea. Add to it, adventure, romance, exotic locations, amazing clothes and Phryne and Jack, I am a happy girl. Nice timing that the movie comes out during my birthday month, I hope Acorn releases it in the US close to the Australian release date, so I get a lovely birthday present.

It’s a stand-alone action-adventure feature film called; Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears! It will pick up the story from the end of the third season, when we saw our Phryne flying away, (with her father screaming in the front seat of her plane, just after the loveliest kiss of the series between Jack and Phryne, (a nice passionate, proper kiss), and a lovely little heart is around the plane as it disappears from view).

Now in Jerusalem, Phryne is unraveling a decade-old mystery involving priceless emeralds, ancient curses and the truth behind the suspicious disappearance of Shirin’s forgotten tribe. Will Jack follow her there? (Yes! Of course he does, he wouldn’t let her down when she asked him to follow her so nicely.) The trailer teases their continuing romance with the pair dancing (hopefully a waltz) and a rather sexy looking scene in the rain.

Essie Davis as Miss Phryne Fisher, Nathan Page as DI Jack Robinson look fantastic in the trailer, not much dialogue, so no spoilers but it is a very exciting look at the movie.  The rest of the cast is in the film, but they are not in the trailer. The trailer does get your imagination spinning.

 

Fans get to help Miss Fisher movie get launched!

This is not the first Kickstarter Program for a movie, and it is not the first time fans helped with a launch in this way.  There are many instances of such group efforts even before mass media came around.

But this is an example of how a group of really enthusiastic fans got to bring about their dream.  It is not a secret that I am a fan of Miss Fisher and the stars of the show.  I have had the privilege of interviewing three members of the cast; Nathan Page, Anthony Sharpe and Travis McMahon!  Nathan has been on my show twice and his second show was the first one of all my shows after 5 years to reach over a million downloads so quickly, so no one has to tell me that he is a popular fellow.

So those very clever people at Every Cloud Productions, (the producers; Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger) asked Mr. Page to put out a video appeal to the fans to help with the Kickstarter Campaign; https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/468758721/miss-fisher-the-movie/description.  It’s rather adorable isn’t it? It’s special guest star (the star of the show) Essie Davis helps out with a special appearance and of course that part is just what we fans want too.  We want Jack and Phryne to finally come together.  Not just a kiss but maybe a chat about it? We also love the whole family so the more that we get this around to everyone and help out, the better the chances that the whole cast will be able to be a part of it.

Anyway this my pitch to help out, as you can see by the counter the campaign is doing very well but some fans that are not on Tumblr, Facebook or Instagram and might not have seen it.  Also some fans may not be following groups, Phryne is an individualist and so are many of her fans.  So if you have not heard about it and can afford to, please help out.  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/468758721/miss-fisher-the-movie/description.

Talented actor Nathan Page answered our fan questions!

 

 

This amazingly gorgeous photo of Nathan Page is by the talented  © Sam McAdam-Cooper.

I am so proud to have taken part in this interview with the talented and diverse Nathan Page. I am so excited to finally get to see his answers to my questions and now I finally get to read everyone else’s questions as well as his answers to those great questions too. I am so excited!!!!

Here is a sneak peak, below is just my questions and answers you can read the rest here at his fantastic site;  https://nathanpagetheactor.com/2016/08/01/nathan-answers-your-questions/

From @Rithebard:

From your posts on Instagram, you love to read. What literary character would you like to bring to life from any time or genres?
There are so many wonderful novels being written that it’s hard to choose. In that sense I don’t feel obliged to classics or the past. I do love a thriller though and the Bourne series would’ve been my recent choice (Damon does it brilliantly).

If you could have any job in the world what would you like to do, and what job would you hate to do?
I’ve always had a quiet place in my heart for understanding and observing nature. And I love the remoteness so in that sense gardening on some level works for me. Form has always sparked my interest and I love looking at buildings of all sorts including interiors so there’s that architectural element. I always, since a young boy, wanted to be a sniper but Bradley Cooper nailed that character so perfectly. Worst job….Definitely ambulance. There’s a reason the suicide rate in ambo’s is 4x higher than any other profession. They see what you shouldn’t see and there’s no coming back from that.

 

 

We would like to see more of Mr. Nathan Page, Please!

Here in the states we are coming to the end of the delightful series Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries.  And we all enjoy Essie Davis and Nathan Pages and their wonderful talent in bringing the characters to life.  But there is something I have noticed since I have become a fan.

Nathan Page is such a talented and diverse actor and he has done a lot of work that we really don’t get to see it in the states.  There are a lot of Nathan Page fans here in the US thanks to MFMM and we would love to see his other work.  I have to confess I have been able to see some of the shows through Itunes and YouTube but it is a mystery to me why they don’t show more Australian Shows here in the US.

Nathan Page is in two shows that are excellent but we don’t get to see them here; one is Underbelly: Squizzy; it is about the life and career of notorious Melbourne gangster, Squizzy Taylor, and is set between 1915 and 1927.   Nathan plays the delectable bad guy; Henry Stokes. Henry is a club owner, smuggler and a bad guy yet he is really funny and adores his wife.  It is a very well written and acted series so why is it not shown here?  Why? 

Nathan is also in the really well done drama Hiding, where he plays the brother-in-law and bad guy, Kosta “Koz” Krilich.  It follows a family in the witness protection program who must build a new life in a strange city, Sydney. Koz is a very complex villain who loves his family but is caught up in some really bad stuff.  He has to deal with his sister and best friend who know what he did.  Nathan gives a wonderful performance but they are not showing here in the states.

Come on powers that be, give us some more viewing pleasure of this talented and diverse actor!

 

 

 

A wild short romantic season full of mystery on Miss Fisher!

It was a wild short romantic season full of mystery on Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries.  I really needed to write this blog in love and appreciation to this wonderful show.  As I told you all in my last blog I love this show.  Even though this season was very short because of money considerations it is jam-packed full of everything we love it for.   I am a happy member of the fandom,  yes, I admit I am that caught up in the fun of the show.

First we love, love, love the star Essie Davis.  She is an amazing actress who has captured the freedom loving, carefree detective perfectly.  She also shows love, loyalty and warmth just through those beautiful blue eyes without saying one word.

We also love, love, love the delectable Nathan Page, he is not only handsome and sexy,  but he is also an amazing actor who conveys so much with an expression of his face or a gesture of his hands.  

On Tumblr and Facebook he has a great following who just wants Jack to be able to kiss Phryne and not to distract her from a dangerous criminal as he did in the first season. I won’t give spoilers here.  But I will say it is a very interesting season for Jack and Phryne.

It is also a very interesting season for Hugh and Dot, played by the talented, Hugo Johnstone-Burt and Ashleigh Cummings love does not go smoothly but they are so cute you can’t help but root for them.  And just watching Dot grow up into an accomplished brave and beautiful young woman thanks to Phryne’s gentle guidance is wonderful for the audience to see.

 

 I want to say so much and explain so much but everything I want to say will give away plot line or some surprise in the show I may have already done it accidentally and I am trying to be good.

 

The season just ended in Australia and it is on its way to the rest of the world.  Definitely worth checking out if you love  Mystery, Costumes, Romance and a whole lot of fun!!!!!!